Commuting - want to go clipless and still be able to walk
 

I am requesting suggestions from first-hand experience on clipless pedals/cleats/shoes for around town/commute to work/school use. I am getting exceedingly frustrated at not having a good transfer of power pulling up on the pedal, or else having the toe clip so tight I can't get into it easily after stop lights. But I want to walk to class or around the store with my shoes and cleats on without looking like a ****. I don't care if the shoe disguises well as an everyday sneaker, just that I can walk properly. Also, the last consideration is that I am on a student budget and I don't have 400 to spend, will probably shop used.

Suggestions?

Thanks

Oh yea, if the ideal shoe/cleat is compatible with a double-sided pedal it would be a plus, but it's not necessary.

SPD cleats and mountain bike shoes. Look like a sneaker from a distance, have recessed cleats so you can still walk.

Something like this.

I'll keep it short. Crank Bros. Candy pedals (any variety except Candy-X - turrble) and shoes like this:

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-1...0/IMAG0032.jpg

On what kind of bike will be mounting these pedals? I happen to be selling off my older or (in this case) unused shoes. PM me if interested. Hope that's ok, mods, as I am trying to help a fellow commuter and this is not in the for trade thread :D

These are going on my 2006 fuji touring - but may eventually want to put the pedals on my fixie project. But fuji touring. I like those shoes - what brand/model are they? I may be interested I will PM you later.

Ah, I see you have only 24 posts. You need 50 to PM.

They are Shimano, and really nice for your intended purpose. The sole is stiff, but not as stiff as a proper MTB shoe. Any two-bolt, or MTB shoe will accept both Crank Bros. and SPD.

If you have an odd size, either really small or really large, you can typically find good deals online or even at your LBS as those sizes sell more slowly. Craigslist often has shoes (that's where I am listing these), but not everyone takes such good care of their shoes.

Good luck.

I like riding with crank bro's pedals and love the simplicity of the design but, I've had numerous issues with them, including a candy 3 completely seizing. An LBS mechanic recently told me they won't carry crank bro's pedals because they have quality control issues. I'm considering converting to speedplay frogs; a bit more expensive than candys, and i don't think they're double sided. Anyone else commuting on them and if so what do you think of them?

I use these shoes:

Shimano MT-33l

With these dual-sided pedals:

Shimano PD-A530

Someone is inevitably going to say the platform side of the A530 pedals is not grippy, so I'll just get it out of the way and say it's not very grippy but serves the purpose. ;)

I can walk in those shoes all day. On concrete there's an occasional small amount of cleat contact with the floor.

size is 11.5 or 11 US. Yea I look on craigslist but am in a small city and not much goes up, occassionally a road shoe with LOOK pedals. I'll check out ebay.

Shimano MT42s look just like trail shoes (low-cut hikers). If I don't feel like carrying shoes or leaving a pair at work, I can get away with wearing them with my work clothes.

http://www.bikeforums.net/attachment...207690&thumb=1
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/M...?ModelID=46681

I have been riding Candies since 2004 and the only one I had trouble with was the Candy-X. Crank Bros replaced them with Candy-1's, which are still like new. Otherwise, perfect record with my many thousands of miles.

Once you get to 50 posts, PM me. I wear your size and am literally about to dump seven pair of used, some lightly, one never before used, onto Craigslist. I will even go over to the for trade thread in case you have something you'd like to trade for a pair.

Let me know.

SPD are a great way to go, 2012 is when i started in clipless, I got my shoes for about 125$ and pedals 50$ so 175 total.

[QUOTEI'm considering converting to speedplay frogs; a bit more expensive than candys, and i don't think they're double sided. Anyone else commuting on them and if so what do you think of them?[/QUOTE]

I like my Frogs for any type of riding. Clips in on both sides of the pedals. No platform side. More rotation than spd's so kinder on the knees, and easier to get in and out of than my Speedplay Light Action pedals.
However, the cleats crunch along the ground when I walk on them in my Specialized MTB Sport shoes. So I still walk funny, but much better than the Light Actions with pure road shoes.

I've been commuting on a pair of Crank Brothers Eggbeaters II for about 9 months and am really happy with them. Super easy to clip in and out of and I understand they can be rebuilt if the bearings start to go bad on them. All replies have been spot on though - mountain bike shoes with the two hole SPD cleat are the ticket for being able to walk around more or less normally.

I have shimano MTB shoes M087 and eggbeater 2s. They are golden, work great and are low maintainence, bought through performance bike for $90 and $60 respectively (patience and heavy discounts were key here, but good/better deals can probably be found on ebay and amazon). I feel similarly about the frustration with lack of power transfer and stability with non-clipless. I commuted for 4-5 months on platforms and tennis-shoes, and it worked, but it wasn't as fun or satisfying. I was thinking about getting the candy's when I built a new bike, but the eggbeaters worked so well and I was concerned that the platforms on the candy's would do more harm than good (the concern seems unfounded from prior posts on this thread). Tennis shoes with cleats always seemed so much heavier than all the other shoes, so I shied away, but to be honest, my mountain shoes are pretty hefty themselves. I would recommend any shoe with a nice heel, pegs or platforms under the ball to keep the cleat from being the only contact with the ground, some rubber on the bottom and SPD style so they're compatible with eggbeaters.

spd
Shimano 520

REI has 25% off all Pearl Izumi shoes and all Shimano pedals this week.
I can get 20% off a set of Egg Beaters too. I've been wanting to try those. Are Egg Beaters SPD?

http://www.performancebike.com/bikes...56_-1___400034
These have worked well for me with a set of Forte Campus Pedals. I commute to work and walk around in them all day. I also carry the plastic inserts in case I don't want to walk around with the cleats.

I have been using Shimano M087 since October.

I was using a double sided pedal, Shimano m324. They are kind of a pita but work. Due to the heavier weight on the platform side, they almost always rotate on you when you stop.
I went double sided with Shimano M540. So far after a month living them.

I was in the same boat a few years ago. I had SPDs on my mountain bike, but the cleat would always click and grind on the ground. We have marble floors at work and I was worried about damaging them.
I switched to Crank Bros Candy pedals and Specialized's commuter shoe. I couldn't be happier.

I think the best looking clipless shoes are Chrome's Kursk Pro:

http://www.chromebagsstore.com/shoes/kursk-pro.html

I get compliments on them all the time, & people are always surprised that they are clipless. With that said, all clipless shoes will have a metal shank that runs the whole way through, so they will pedal properly, which is their first priority. The Kursk Pros are not uncomfortable to walk in, but they walk pretty similar to clipless mountain bike shoes, maybe a little better.

If you want a clipless shoe, you will sacrifice some walkability, if you want a walkable sneaker, you will sacrifice power on the bike. That's all there is to it.

Cleats: I use standard Shimano cleats, with Shimano double sided pedals, platform on one, clipless on the other. They all work quite well for me.

Those are what I use on my commuter bike, they cost 20 euros including cleats in Germany.
For shoes I am using Diadora's, they are walkable and look ok.

I'm going to assume that the build quality of the pros are a lot better than the regular Kurks. The pair I wear all the time have gotten super noodly and are falling apart so badly. It's probably the worst $70 I spent (thank God the other pair of Kurks I have were free.)